Corset



E. M. STOWERS GORSET Filed March f7. 1921 2 sheets-sheet 1 E. M. STOWERS oa., 13, 192s.

CORSET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March '7. 1921 Invention Zyei JZ. awez.

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Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

l ETI-IEL M. STOWEB/S, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CORSET.

Application inea March 7, 192i. serial No. 450,342.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ETHEL M. Srownns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Corsets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in corsets, and such like garments of feminine apparel, and has for its object to provide a new and improved form of corset which will remain in place on the body of the wearer and not tend to shift or ride up.

I hen the wearer' of a corset which extends below the hip line sits down, the thighs tend to push the front of the corset up so that upon arising the corset is higher than it should be, and must be pushed or pulled down again. Did the corset terminate above the line of the hip joints so that the thighs in bending did not contact with it, there would be little or no tendency for this upward movement, but all corsets of the abdominal support or girdle type have, prior to my invention been open to this objection.

My invention comprises means for overcoming this difficulty, and I overcome it in general terms by dividing the front portion of the corset into two separate zones, one above the other, and arranging the edges of these Zones sothat when the wearer sits down or bends over, the upper zone or portion of the corset can slide relative to the lower zone or portion without wrinlrling the corset and without interfering with the position of the two parts or sections on the wearer-s body. The result of this, of course, is that when the wearer resumes the standing position, the two sections merely slide one on the other', and there is no tendency for the corset to rise. This arrangement is supported and assisted by a peculiar arrangement of the garters whereby the tension applied by the garters along the front of the top is distributed partially to the lower edge of the lower zone, and partially to the lower edge of the upper zone or section of the corset thus insuring a proper engagement and sliding of the two parts with respect one to the other.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a front elevat-ion of a corset of the abdominal support or girdle type constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a section on an enlarged scale taken on line 2 2 of Figure l,

Figure 3 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale similar to Fig. l, with parts omitted and parts broken away,

Figure a is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, with added parts shown,`

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1l with parts bent as in use,

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a modified form.

Lilie letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A is the corset or garment, reinforced by vertical bones of flexible members A. It is closed along the front edge by the hooks or clasps A2, engaging pins A3 toward the top part, the hooks` A4 engaging eyes A5 toward the bottom. Immediately adjacent this detachable fastening is the lacing B4, B5, whereby the tension or tightness of the corset may be adjusted so that the wearer can put it on and take it off by merely hooking or unhoo-king the hooks or clasps. A7 are garters extending down from the lower portion of the corset adapted to support the hose of the wearer.

The front portion of the corset is divided into an upper zone section o-r panelB and a lower zone section or panel B2 by a transverse, substantially horizontal slot or slit B3 extending across the front portion of the body of the wearer. This slot or slit is located well down toward the lower edge of the corset, about in line with the top of the thigh that is, at about the hipI line or groin, so that the upper panel is longer than the lower. Separate laces or lacing strings B4, B5 are provided to adjust the tension of the upper and lower portions of the corset, these separate laces being associated with the upperand lower front panels or sections so that under ordinary conditions the lower portion of the corset around the more or less solid, fleshy portions of the wearers body may be drawn up tighter thanthe upper portion.

C C are garters slidably attached to the lower loop or bight of a flexible strap- O Cf, one end of this strap being attached to the lower edge of the lower panel, Vand the other end of the strap being attached to the lower edge of the upper panel, and extending up across or along in front of the lower panel so that the garter attachment tends to exert an equalized tension 'on the lower edges of bot-h saidupper and lower panels. G2 C2 are stop members or limiting reinforcements attached to the upper edge of the lower panels extending underneath the upper panel and attached to the back side thereof at a point above the lower extremity thereof, for the purpose of preventing undue separation of the edges of these two panels and maintaining the parts of the corset in the same relative position when the wearer is upright that they would have if the transverse slit had not been made.

It will be evident that while I have shown in my drawings an operative device, still many changes might be made both in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts, without departing materially from the spirit of my invention, and I wish therefore that my 'drawings be regarded as in a sense diagrammatic.

In the modified form illustrated in Figure 6 the upper panel B does not directly meet the lower panel B2, but overlaps it as shown. By this construction relative movement of the two panels begins more rapidly and casier than in the form shown in the other figures. This is due to the fact that the two panels are not in line, and therefore, no initial motion need be imparted to them in order to move them out of line, so as to permit relative vertical movement. Another advantage of this form is that it permits the two panels to be laced to differing degrees of tightness. Thus the lower panel may be made tighter than the upper panel. This means that the pressure about the hips may be greater than the pressure exerted by the upper panel across the stomach. This is a feature which is desirable in certain types of corsets as the` comfort of the wearer will normally permit a considerably greater pressure across the hips than across the stomach. y

there inthe claims I speak of the corset enclosing the body of the wearer' fully from top to bottom of the corset I mean that there are no large gaps, such, for example, as over the abdominal region. It is, therefore, the general purpose of the corset Q enclose and constrict the body of the wearer throughout its height. There will, of course, be small gaps where the parts of the corset are laced together, or otherwise joined, and there may be slight gaps at certain times between the upper 'and lower fro-nt portions of the garment, but there will be no large unrestricted openings.

When the wearer stoops over or sits down and her legs are drawn up so that they make anangle` with the balance of the body, then as above suggested there is a tendency towards shortening the front of the corset,

and this tendency instead of wrinkling orbending the front of the corset, merely causes the stiffer, heavily boned upper portion of the corset to slide along in front of the tighter but more flexible and lightly, if at all `boned lower panel, the tension of the garters tending to be kept tight, and thus to hold the corset down into position. The amount of overlap at. the slitted or slotted portion between the upper and lower panels depends, of course, upon the shape of the wearer and upon the angle of inclination between her legs and her body.

As soon as the wearer resumes the upright position, the two elements o r panels of the corset slide bac-lr into line, but they cannot slide or move beyond the normal position because any separation is prevented by the flexible, though inextensible holding strips, which are loca-ted behind :the panels, and which limit the separation of their edges.

Clearly the presence of these limiting strips and the presence of the garter arrangement adds to the smoothness of operation of the invention, but it is clearly evident that under so-me conditioIlS at least, the corset will operate very satisfactorily without either of these two elements.

I claim:

l. A corset comprising an upper front panel extending upwardly from its lower edge which is arranged at approximately the groin or hip line, a lower panel extending downwardly from its upper edge which is arranged aat approximately the groin. or hip line in the same general location of the lower edge of the upper panel, the two panels designed to slide relative to each other longitudinally of the corset as the wearer sits down, and means for exerting a simultaneously downward pull on each of said panels.

2. A corset comprising an upper front panel extending upwardly from its lower edge which is arranged at approximately the groin or hip line, a lower panel extending downwardly from its upper edge which is arranged at approximately the groin or hip line in the same general location of the lower edge of the upper panel, the two panels designed to sli-de relative to eachother longitudinally of the corset as: the wearer sits down, and means attached to the lower edge of each of said panels for supporting a garter whereby a downward pull is eX- erted on each panel.

3. In a corset which fully Vencloses the body of the wearer from the top to the bottom of the corset, an upper and a lower front panel integral with the body of the 'garment and separated one from the other at the front of fthe body only, along a line extending across the body of the wearer, the lower panel alone being adapted to move ico vertically with relation to the upper panel in response to movement of the bo-dy of the wearer, the rest of the corset remaining in substantially fixed position upon the body ol the wearer, and means for exerting a. simultaneous downward pull on the lower edge of each of said panels.

4. In a. corset which fully encloses the body oli the wearer from the top to the bottoni of the corset, an upper and a lower front panel integral with the body of the garment and separated one from the other at the front of the body only, along a line extending across 'the body of the wearer, the lower panel alone bein-g adap-ted to move vertically with relation to the upper panel in response to movement of the body of the wearer, the rest of the corset remaining in substantially fixed position upon the body or the wearer, and means for exerting a simultaneous downward pull on the lower edge of each of said panels, said means comprising garters attached to the lower edges of each or' said panels.

5. In a corset which fully encloses the body of the wearer from the top to the bottom of the corset, an upper and lower front panel, integral with the body of the garment, and separated one from the other atthe front of the body only along a line eX tending across the body of the wearer at about the hip line, the opposing edges of such upper and lower panels being normally approximately in contact when 'the body of the wea-rer is erect, and means located at the front extremities of the panels for preventing downward separation of the lower panel from the upper.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cool: and

State of Illinois, this 4th day of March 1921.

ETHEL M. STOWERS. 

